Prioritizing, time management and sleep ease stress

"Give me an "S!" Now give me a "T!" Oh never mind, I do NOT have time to spell this word. I'm just so stressed. Whether you say stressed, crazed, flustered or can't fit it in your schedule to come up with a word, this time of year is crazy for us all.

Many times this kind of mindset can lead to fights, misunderstandings and other negative effects.

With mashed potatoes and presents just around the corner, I'd like to offer some helpful tips for a successful end to the semester.

Rule number one: Get it done. This is the essential key to your sanity and in many cases, your academic achievement. Now is the time to spend the extra hours finishing late work. If you spared minutes to read this, you had five more minutes to answer those reading questions you put off.

In fact, put this down. Please, by all means, if you have unfinished homework, turn back to your room and Get. It. Done.

Still reading? Great, that means you are a responsible student and have no make-up work. On the other hand, you could be the procrastinating type from the previous paragraph. Either way, rule 2 is a time management tip: Make a schedule.

Many times, our brains play tricks on us, telling us we have a thousand things to do.

However, in reality, if you get out the old legal pad and a pen, you are not likely to find more than about ten things to do. Jot them down as they come to you and then prioritize.

And if you feel fancy, a timeline is a very useful tool. All you must do is stick to the list, and you'll be done before you know it.

Rule number 3 might seem a little precarious considering the schedule you just laid out for yourself. (Pretty cool how a thousand turns to ten, huh?) Regardless, Rule 3: Get Sleep.

Now, the eight hours of sleep a night thing…Does anyone really do that in college?

I am a huge personal advocate of afternoon naps. All you have to do is make room in your day to bring out your inner cat and snooze for about two hours. This tiny addition to your 3-4 hours of sleep you get during this time of the semester may be just what you need. Logic and reason are difficult to achieve if your eyes have not been closed in 12 hours. With all this work going on, it is essential to set aside some time for your own relaxation.

While there is no medication for stress, remember these three rules. Get it done. Make a schedule. Take a nap. Okay, have you got it?

We can make it through this next week with three simple steps without too many bags under our eyes. And remember, after it's all over, we get pie.